4 found dead in suspected Hempfield murder-suicide; victims include children ages 1, 5

Dick Shawley held back tears while standing on his Hempfield front porch Friday morning after learning four of his neighbors are dead in what police deemed a murder-suicide.

He recalled all the times he gave the kids — Connor, 1, and Evelyn, 5 — money for their birthdays and Christmas presents. And there were the neighborly interactions with their parents, Karen Swarner, 32, and her husband Paul Swarner, 35.

“Oh, it’s just terrible,” Shawley said. “It’s just unconscionable.”

State Trooper Steve Limani said Paul Swarner fatally shot his wife and their two children before turning the pistol on himself at their home on Keck Lane, a private one-lane street off Waltz Mill Road, east of New Stanton. The deaths were reported late Thursday when Karen Swarner’s father went to the home about 11:30 p.m. after family members hadn’t been able to reach them.

The last known telephone conversation between Karen Swarner and a family member took place Wednesday afternoon. Attempts to reach the couple Thursday afternoon by family were not successful, Limani said. That threw up some red flags.

“They’re a type of family that stays in communication with each other,” he said.

Authorities were at the home overnight until about 8 a.m. Friday. They were working on establishing a timeline and got search warrants for electronic items in the home. Limani said Friday afternoon that troopers hadn’t been able to determine a motive for the killings.

The deaths were a shock to their tiny neighborhood of a handful of homes in a rural area of the township not far from Interstate 70.

“This appears to be the All-American family,” Limani said. “There’s pictures all over the home. It appears to be a very loving household. There’s toys and stuff for the kids all over the place for them to enjoy. It’s not what you would think where something like this would happen.

“It’s hard for a police officer to walk in (on something) like that, so I can only imagine what their family is going through,” he said.

A dog in the home was not hurt.

Dwayne Shank pulled over his tow truck on the snow-covered lane Friday morning, and his fears were confirmed. He had grown closer with Paul Swarner in the past few years. He said he never expected any issues involving the family.

Paul Swarner was out of the area a lot for work in the oil and gas industry, Shank and Shawley said. Karen Swarner graduated from Seton Hill University in 2017 with a master’s degree in the physician assistant program, a university spokesperson confirmed.

Paul Swarner bought the home on Keck Lane in 2016, and he and Karen Swarner married the same year, according to county records.

“I wasn’t family, but I tried to help them as much as I could,” Shawley said. “I didn’t bother them, but, if they needed help, I was there.”

Shawley first noticed police activity at the home next door when he was outside feeding cats and chickens and later got a call from his daughter. He sometimes shared food with the family and kept an eye on the house when they weren’t home.

“(Karen) was always jovial, and Paul would come home for a week or two, then he would go out and travel long distances … to work,” he said. “As far as I can tell, loving parents.”

Shawley said he gave Connor $5 for his first birthday.

“They were always jumping around and happy. I played Santa over there, and I’ll never get it out of my mind,” he said, getting choked up. “Such devastation, such preciousness, life. I’m so sorry to hear it.”

Limani said if any friends or family members of the Swarners have information that could help establish a timeline or motive, they are encouraged to call the station near Greensburg at 724-832-3288.

“Our condolences go out to the families, and it’s just tough on law enforcement,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can to try and give them the why. Hopefully something electronic in that house will tell us something.”